Adventure, December 3, 1920 — page 58: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

48 Creeping to the edge of the first meadow, they saw several men in’a group in the center. Thornton and Bransom evidently were engaged in an argument. “Wait here for me a minute,” whispered Lang. “ He stole back above the cabin to the body of the first man who had attempted to cross the open space to the trees where Lang’s horse was hid. He secured- the dead man’s gun and quickly rejoined Condon. “We'll step out an’ cover ’em, an’ if they don’t behave proper right quick start shootin’. Ready?” z Condon leveled the rifle'as they stepped out from the fringe of timber. “Reach for the sky, all of you!” rang Lang’s voice as he too covered the men. Bransom was standing behind Thornton as they whirled to face the direction from whence the voice had come. Instead of following the example of Thornton and the others, who raised their hands and dropped their weapons when they recognized their disadvantage, Bran- som swung his gun up behind Thornton to-fire. But Thornton saw the moye and knocked the gun up as Bransom sent a bullet crashing on its way into the tree-tops. Then Lang’s gun spoke and Bransom’s right hand fell limply to his side. “You fool!’ Thornton had cried. “That’s his style. It don’t look to me like you’re very particular who you pick to help your play, whatever it is, Thornton,” said Lang eoolly. ‘“‘What were you after me for?” “There’s a bunch of my cattle missing, Rush, for one thing,”’ said Thornton. “Where did you hear Rush was my name?” Thornton indicated Bransom with a nod. “He told you?” exclaimed Lang joyfully. “Told me ‘your name was Lang Rush, that you was a cattle-thief an’ was tryin’ to steal my little girl What have you got to say to that? ’Course, you don’t have to talk now you’ve got us cornered.”’ “You’re right there,” said Condon. “We don’t have to talk but Bransom is going to talk or he’s going to stop some lead from this rifle. How about it, Bransom?” “What do you want?” asked Bransom, white- faced as he stared into the rifle-barrel. “Who took the cattle?” “Frued.”’ “Sure—blame it ona dead man. But who helped Frued and that mysterious stranger who came in here a few days ago round up the cattle and drive ’em over the divide night before last? Speak up Bransom, or, by ——, I'll shoot.” : “J—I thought we was—rounding up my own cattle.” ‘“There’s the man responsible for the cattle- thieving,” said Condon to Thornton. - “Just so,” said Condon evenly. Adventure Then, turning to Lang, he said quickly: “T saw Bransom.and Frued and this other feller who Bransom called Frank down at Bransom’s cabin. They was framing up some kind of a deal to get even with you for that night. “T lit out to watch ’em, thinking to surprize you with what Id learn, and I found ’em driving: away a bunch of cattle. I followed *em and found out that the newcomer was a member of a gang of horse-thieves and all- around crooks and that Bransom and, Frued had been in with the bunch until ’bout a year ago when they got cold feet because the home- steaders was gettin’ so thick and lit out for the hills with a bunch of stolen cattle. “This gang is camped down below the divide on the other side and Frued brought back three of them with him to help Bransom get you. I followed ’em back. They was in such a hurry one of ’em dropped his rope, which I picked up—lucky I did too, or I never could have got down into the draw.” “You say there’s a gang down there on t’other side with my cattle?” asked Thornton, dropping his hands in surprize. “The man Frank came up here to try and get Bransom and Frued to go back to the outfit. Maybe Lang here knows of ’em—the leader’s a .tall, sandy sort with a drooping mustache and a scar on his chin where the ends come together; I got one look at him and knew I’d seem him before in the back room of a saloon in Bradley.” “Hemp!” Lang exclaimed. “Don’t know what his name is but he was pointed out to ‘me as a horse-thief—’ Hey! Where you goin’, Thornton?” Thornton walked swiftly out of sight below the meadow. In a moment he returned, carry- ing a rope. He looked at Bransom savagely as he advanced. ; “We got a sure cure for rustlers up here,” he said meaningly. “I begin to see why you was. so anxious to offer them three strangers to help in this business. Bad busineés it has turned out for them—and nowzit’s going to prove a bad business for you.” “Wait a minute,’ Condon said crisply. “This fellow said Lang here was botherin’ that girl of yourn, whereas I saw Lang chase him away from her one day when he was getting too fresh and after he’d tried to pull his gun. How about it, Bransom?”’ “We'll not mention the girl in this,” said Lang. ‘She isn’t to be spoken of in the same breath with talk of this—rat.” Bransom’s face had lost its pallor and turned purple with suppressed rage at Condon’s speech. He started to say something when his- eyes bulged and he stared past the little group before - him. “The girl can speak for herself,’’ said Alice COMIC OOOKS (F@